For a patient with dementia,
life's journey could be challenging. The diagnosis itself could come as a shock
for the patient as well as their family members. Persons suffering from
dementia often feel vulnerable and this is the time when they look forward to
the support and reassurance of friends and family the most.

Alzheimer's disease is the most
common cause of dementia; other types of dementia include vascular dementia,
dementia with Lewy bodies, fronto-temporal dementia etc. A variety of tests and diagnostic procedures are used to
diagnose the cause of dementia such as CT scans, MRI scans, blood tests as well
as mental state examinations of the patient using different questionnaires.

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is defined
as an activity that occurs when members of two or more professions (which
include health care providers and social care providers,) learn with, from and
about one another to improve collaboration and the quality of care. For example, a dementia patient will require
treatment from a neurologist, neuropsychologist, physical/occupational
therapists, nurses, social workers etc.
Thus, if all these members who participate in the care of the dementia
patient interact with and learn from each other, the patient is likely to
benefit from the successful teamwork.

There is limited literature currently providing information on
effectiveness of IPE in dementia care. Hence, a protocol has been designed and
published which will be used to study the influence of IPE on collaborative
knowledge and skills as well as on interprofessional practice and care for people
with dementia. The study will cover health care providers, regulated and
unregulated social care providers working with dementia patients, as well as
students.

The following electronic databases will be searched for pertinent
information: PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library,
PsycINFO CINAHL, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), ERIC
British Education Index (BEI) and the Healthcare Management Information
Consortium (HMIC).

A manual search of 3 relevant journals will be undertaken with the aim
of finding and collecting additional studies. In addition, the reference lists
of included and pertinent studies would also be checked. Duplicate studies will
be removed from the list.

The studies included in the final review would most likely include: randomized
studies, non-randomized controlled studies, cohort studies, and qualitative as
well as mixed method studies.

Analysis of data will
be done via a narrative synthesis method initially. If a subset of data
analyzed appears comparable, then it may be pooled through formal meta-analysis
analytical techniques.

The findings of this
systematic review will hopefully identify how IPE programs can possibly
influence and even improve patient outcomes in delirium patients. It may also
identify specific gaps in the current information which could be later
addressed through research, policy and practice.

The findings of this review will be published in a
peer-reviewed journal.

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